Spurs boss Redknapp revels in Parker capture as Tottenham climb table

Harry Redknapp was stunned that Tottenham's rivals did not swoop for Scott Parker before he completed the signing of the former West Ham midfielder on deadline day.

Parker was arguably the only player to emerge from the Hammers squad with any credit at the end of last term as they finished bottom of the Barclays Premier League.

Despite being linked with a number of top-flight clubs, the 31-year-old began this season at Upton Park.

Running the show: Scott Parker (centre) has been in fine form for Spurs

Redknapp finally persuaded chairman Daniel Levy that Parker was worth the £5million fee Tottenham paid to secure his signature on the last day of the transfer window.

Since Parker's arrival, Tottenham have dropped just two points during a nine-match unbeaten run that has seen the London club rise to third in the Barclays Premier League table.

Parker's performances have been key to the club's revival, with his tenacious tackling and top-class creativity allowing the likes of Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Luka Modric to flourish.

Chelsea and Arsenal, who both trail Spurs in the league, were linked with the England man and Redknapp is surprised that they, or any other club, were unwilling to take a chance on the player.

'When you think about it, he was sitting there (at West Ham) all summer. He could have been nicked by anybody. I don't know how somebody else didn't sign him,' Redknapp told Spurs TV Online.

'I don't know (how no-one else signed him). It took three or four months to get him but we got him in the end and we are delighted to have him.'

Pivotal: Parker has also established himself in the England line-up

The capture of Parker, and of Emmanuel Adebayor on loan from Manchester City, delighted Tottenham fans after a tumultuous summer which saw Modric the subject of strong interest from Chelsea.

The Blues made a series of bids for the talented playmaker - the last was thought to be £40million - but chairman Levy refused to sell despite the player himself pushing for a move.

Modric has put in a series of impressive performances since, the most recent coming in Monday's night's win over Aston Villa in which he was man of the match.

The Croatian thought the Tottenham squad had become stale in the summer but has been impressed with the impact the two new signings have made.

'We needed some fresh blood in our team,' Modric said.

'Scotty and Manu came in. They are great players. They have improved our squad a lot and you can see that on the pitch.

'Now we are in third we have hard games coming up so we just have to keep fighting for each other and keep this momentum up.'

Flying: Emmanuel Adebayor (right) has kept Jermain Defoe out of the Spurs side

Like Parker, Adebayor has slotted seamlessly into the Spurs starting XI, scoring five goals after forming a good partnership with Rafael van der Vaart up front.

As a result, Jermain Defoe has had to settle for a place on the bench. The England striker has not started a Premier League game since Spurs' 2-1 win over Arsenal seven weeks ago, despite beginning the season in good form.

The 29-year-old has been in fine form in training and kept up his push for a first-team place by scoring five goals in a 6-1 win over Charlton at Tottenham's training ground.

Defoe was happy with the feat, which came exactly two years to the day after his last five-goal haul against Wigan.

'I love scoring goals, even if it's in training,' Defoe said.

'It was good for me to play that game because I haven't played for five games so you don't want to lose that sharpness and fitness as well.

'It's even better to do it in a proper match. We will just see what happens at the weekend.'